The Chris Townsend Show

Cooley's Contemplationsby Scott Cooley, posted on Fri, Aug. 22, 2008

BOLT STATEMENT

Sometimes I surprise even myself. After copious hours of force-fed viewing of the Olympics where I was involuntary hog-tied to the couch and the tips of my eyelids duct taped to the back of my head, I actually found something compelling about the Summer Games.

The phenomenon occurred at about 11:00 on Sunday evening while my wife was prodding me to stay awake with a kitchen knife. I came out of my haze to see a blurry yellow figure streaking past others on what appeared to be black asphalt.

I hadn’t watched a track event since we used to sneak out of P.E. to drool over the goddess Patty McCoy as she chugged around the oval in her full-bodied spandex my freshman year of high school (Pandora Peaks Patty had a voluptuous set of…you get the picture).

So I witnessed this Jamaican sprinter called Usain Bolt absolutely demolish his competition, including a pair of Americans, in the Men’s 100-meter final. Left them in the dust, ran like the wind, burnt rubber and all the speed clichés in the galaxy don’t justify what this athlete did to the track and his opponents.

The most enthralling part of the race was that Bolt’s effort almost seemed lackadaisical. Take a look at the videos and you won’t be able to detect a single ounce of perspiration seeping from his body.

Not only did Bolt become the first sprinter to go sub-9.7 in the 100m with a world record time of 9.69, but he did it after high-stepping the last 20 meters of the race in a Deion Sanders-esque form. Bolt also repeatedly pounded his chest while facing the crowd as he crossed the finish line.

Analysts said he could have beaten his own world record, set at the Reebok Grand Prix on May 31, by a full second had he exerted maximum effort throughout the race. I guess that just gives him something to shoot for in the 2012 Games.

It appears this phenom has room to improve as well. One of the broadcasters was commenting on the fact that Bolt’s mechanics were some of the poorest he had ever seen in a professional runner. His spine and neck were arched the wrong way and this guy still smoked everyone, and could have been faster.

Many cynics have accused Bolt of being classless and showboating for not going all out for the entirety of the race. I refer to this attitude sometimes displayed by athletes in sports as being…modestly pompous. I equate it to a baseball player admiring his believed home run blast from just beyond the batter’s box as the ball smacks off the top of the right-center wall for a long single.

The thing is, Bolt had already hit his home run, he was just deciding at what speed he wanted to trot around the bases. I find no fault in what he did.

And in the 200-meter finale, Bolt definitely went all out. There was no high-stepping or showboating, he only glanced up at the clock a few times to see where he was. Probably another thing they teach you NOT to do. He finished in front of the next runner by more than a half second and four body lengths – the largest margin of victory ever in the 200.

He also bested Michael Johnson’s world record of 19.32 by .02 seconds something he even thought was unattainable before the event began. Many believed Johnson’s mark, set in 1996, would never be broken but Bolt did it despite a mild headwind, and became the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win the gold in the 100- and 200-meter races.

Today, Bolt is most likely celebrating his years of existence since being born in exactly 22 years ago in Montego Bay 22. No doubt a star was born then, and it has now shone brightly during the 2008 Olympics.

I have to admit I am somewhat interested in what the future holds for this speed junkie. Perhaps Jerry Jones should sign this guy to a contract and put him out there next to T.O. and Patrick Crayton. Send Bolt running straight down the field and if anyone is near him when the ball approaches the ground (which I doubt there will be), let him use his 6-foot-5 frame to jump up and snatch it out of the air.

If not, I guess I will just have to wait four years to watch the fastest man in the world because this Bolt really is, quick as lightning.